94 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



To those who may be inclined 

 to question the propriety of our 

 undertaking, or doubt the verac- 

 ity of our first intentions, we 

 would say "bide a wee " and await 

 the results of this experiment, ere 

 you pronounce your decision. 



NEW OBSERVATIONS ON 



THE NATURAL HISTORY 



OF BEES. 



By Francis Huber. 



(Continued from p. 62, Vol. III.) 



certain measure, changed their 

 natural condition, and this circum- 

 stance possibly might have af!ected 

 their instinct.^ 



Therefore to obviate every ob- 

 jection, I invented a kind of hive, 

 which, without losing the advan- 

 tages of those very thin. at the same 

 time approached the figure of com- 

 mon hives where bees form several 

 rows of combs. 



I procured several small fir frames, 

 a foot square, and an inch and a 

 quarter broad ; and connecting 

 them together by hinges, the whole, 

 like so many divisions, could be 

 opened and shut as the leaves of a 

 book. AVhen using a hive of this de- 

 scription, we previously fixed a 

 comb in each frame and then in- 

 troduced all the bees which were 

 required for the particular experi- 

 ment. 



Opening the different divisions 

 in succession we daily inspected 

 both surfaces of every comb ; there 

 was not a single cell, where we 

 could not see distinctly whatever 

 passed at all times, nor a single 

 bee, I may almost say, with which 

 we were not particularly acquaint- 



5 A single comb of very large dimensions, 

 attached under the boughs of a tree, is said to 

 be constructed by a species of bees iu India.— 



ed. Indeed this apparatus is noth- 

 ing more than the union of several 

 veiy flat hives capable of separa- 

 tion. 



But bees must not be visited, in 

 such a habitation, before their 

 combs are fixed securely in the 

 frames, otherwise the combs by fall- 

 ing out, may kill or maim the bees, 

 or excite tliat degree of irritation 

 as will expose the observer to being 

 stung, which is always painful, and 

 sometines dangerous ; but they 

 soon become accustomed to their 

 situation, and are in some respect 

 tamed by it. In three days we 

 may begin to operate on the hive : 

 to open it, remove part of the 

 combs, and substitute others with- 

 out the bees exhibiting too formid- 

 able symptoms of displeasure. 



You will remember, Sir, that on 

 visiting my retreat, I showed you 

 a hive of this kind that had been 

 a long time in experiment and how 

 much you were surprised that the 

 bees so quietly allowed us to open it. 



In these hives I have repeated 

 all my observations, and obtained 

 exactly the same results as in the 

 thinnest. Thus I think already to 

 have obviated any objections that 

 may arise concerning the supi)osed 

 inconvenience of flat hives. 



Besides, I cannot regret the rep- 

 etition of my labors ; by going 

 over the same course several times, 

 I am much more certain of having 

 avoided error ; and it also appears, 

 that some advantages are found in 

 these which may be called hook or 

 leaf-hives as they prove extremely 

 useful in the economical treatment 

 of bees which shall be afterwards 

 detailed. 



Having now come to the partic- 

 ular object of this letter, the 

 fecundation of the queen bee, I 

 shall, in a few words, examine the 

 different opinions of naturalists ; 

 next, I shall state the most remark- 

 able observations which their con- 

 jectures have induced me to make, 



